Super Sophie's delight after best day of her life

Sophie Hitchon admitted it was 'the best day of my life' as she again broke her British record to claim a bronze medal in the Olympic hammer final on Monday.
Great Britain's Sophie Hitchon is presented with the Bronze medal for the Women's Hammer Throw at the Olympic Stadium on the tenth day of the Rio Olympics Games, Brazil. Picture date: Monday August 15, 2016. Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire. EDITORIAL USE ONLYGreat Britain's Sophie Hitchon is presented with the Bronze medal for the Women's Hammer Throw at the Olympic Stadium on the tenth day of the Rio Olympics Games, Brazil. Picture date: Monday August 15, 2016. Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire. EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Great Britain's Sophie Hitchon is presented with the Bronze medal for the Women's Hammer Throw at the Olympic Stadium on the tenth day of the Rio Olympics Games, Brazil. Picture date: Monday August 15, 2016. Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire. EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In doing so, the Burnley athlete because the first ever Brit to win an Olympic hammer medal, and she is the first British female medalist at an Olympic Games since Fatima Whitbread won silver in the javelin at Seoul in 1988.

Sophie went out to 74.54m with her final throw to climb from fifth to third, and she knew as soon as the hammer left her hands it was big. Speaking from Rio, she said: “It was the best day of my life – it was absolutely amazing. Training has been going really well, and I felt good at the holding camp before the Games. I knew if I could put everything together on the day, I had a chance, and it all came together.”

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Sophie was fourth at the Worlds in Beijing last year, and again at the European Championships in Amsterdam last month, but she admitted: “I have been quietly confident, although you can’t get too far ahead of yourself. This is what you train for, to peak at the right time, and that throw is what I’ve been building towards.”

There is no rest for Sophie, with the Worlds in London next year, and she added: “I’ll take some time off now, but work then starts for the Worlds and hopefully I can go further again.”

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